Family remembers local teen at quiz night for good cause

FANCY getting your thinking cap on and taking part in a quiz all for a great cause?

Tomorrow (Friday April 14), The Village Inn will host a quiz night in memory of James Heaney with all proceeds going to Child Loss Support NI (CLS).

This will be the first quiz held in memory of James, who tragically passed away in August 2021 from a rare heart condition known as myocardial infarction necrosis at the tender age of 18.

Following his passing, James’ mother, Rosemary has dedicated much of her time to raising vital funds for Child Loss Support NI.

“James was a precious son, brother and friend to all who knew him,” explained Rosemary.

“He attended Omagh CBS and was preparing to go to Liverpool to study aeronautical engineering.

“Losing James is extremely difficult and painful… and dealing with it is a process rather, than an event.”

As part of the Child Loss Support NI group, Rosemary and many other bereaved parents dealing with painful grief meet on the last Saturday of each month in Omagh’s Silverbirch Hotel.

“If you lose a child, it hits your whole house,” Rosemary continued.

“You have to reach out to other people to try and understand what you’re going through,

“That’s why raising funds for CLS is so important: It helps keep things going, and helps us find more skills to cope with the journey of child loss.

“We would like to fund holistic therapies, talking therapies and keep our monthly meetings going.”

Child Loss Support NI’s monthly events in Omagh often welcome guest speakers to talk about their own experience of child loss and dealing with grief, exploring how it can affect your body, health and mind.

“James, to me, was just such a loss,” concludes Rosemary,

“He was such a dote, so, for me, it has been important to hear about other people’s journeys in dealing with similar things.”

If you would like to enter the quiz, there is a £5 entry fee with the event commencing upstairs in the Village Inn at 7.30pm tomorrow evening (Friday).